Chow Down

Root for Charles, John, and Garnet as they try to buck the system of pills and procedures and outfox their heart disease and diabetes. When their doctors inform them that they can't get better, our intrepid trio tells the doctors to think again. With lighthearted animation, piercing expert interviews and a feisty attitude, CHOW DOWN is the moving story of the success you can achieve when you rewrite the recipe for a healthy life.

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There's a lot going on in this film, including the ability to reverse heart disease and Type 2 diabetes through diet (and complemented with exercise). But my biggest take away was how strong Big Ag really is, the insights of how this industry really works and their influence, and how the USDA is inherently structured as a conflict of interest -- to the point where the industry has so much pull, since often the leadership is from Big Ag, that you can't trust what USDA says, certainly not if your life depended on it. And then the leadership in the federal government are so beholden to Big Ag that they continually and heavily subsidize known unhealthy foods and products, in concert with imbalanced food amounts (eg, corn, dairy, beef, etc), to create a system that effectively recommends unhealthy and sometimes life-threatening lifestyles to the unsuspecting consumer. So it's not a surprise that billions are spent to temporarily repair people -- let me repeat that, repair people -- at hospitals through largely preventable procedures but instead are allowed to manifest and become complicated, expensive, and high-risk surgical necessities. We should be thankful of conscientious doctors like Dr. Esselstyn and researchers, etc., who try to do the right thing, but unfortunately don't get the face time with the American public as effectively as the federal government and Big Ag. This film is about food consumption, yes, but it also provides food for thought about the inner workings of such mammoth agencies as the USDA and special interests like Big Ag.

The subject matter is critical and the doctors participating are among the top in this field (Dr, Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Joel Furhman). We've embraced this way of living for years now and it's fantastic. My problem with the video is the poor production value (not a deal breaker) and the way it makes this lifestyle seem like an uphill battle and unsustainable. It's not! The food is amazing, and I feel better than I have in years. The underlying message is a great one, and the facts presented are sound, but I felt that Forks Over Knives (and the FOK 'extended interviews') presented the material much better.

What these people have done to combat their diseases and conditions, has been done many times before, and proven to work. Using their methods of a better overall diet and less time sitting, I beat hypothyroid

Excellent DVD on reversing heart disease and diabetes. I would see this in conjuntion with Forks over Knives and share them both with friends and family. These type of movies should be shown at school.

elizabethfi
Jan 18, 2012

Loved this documentary. I've seen it several times. If you or a loved one has heart disease or diabetes you need to watch this and change your life.

A diet that reverses heart disease and diabetes II. This is an entertaining look at real people dealing with extreme health issues. What is particularly revealing to me is how important family support is when changing to a healthy diet from a poor one. Also very interesting that the son of a butcher ends up ditching meat for health reasons.

Wish they'd spent an equal amount of time following the case of the black women - why people fail to stay on diets is just as interesting as watching those that do. Lots of interesting information, I didn't learn anything new, though.